Reed Brody

Reed Brody is Counsel for Human Rights Watch, where he assists atrocity victims who are fighting for justice. His work as counsel for the victims in the case of the exiled former dictator of Chad, Hissène Habré – who was convicted of crimes against humanity in Senegal – and in the cases of Augusto Pinochet and Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier has been featured in five films, including “The Dictator Hunter.” Author of “Victims bring a Dictator to Justice:  The Case of Hissène Habré (2017),” he currently works with victims of the former dictator of Gambia Yahya Jammeh and he helped initiate the case in Argentina against Saudi Arabia’s Mouhamed bin Salman. He wrote four Human Rights Watch reports on U.S. treatment of prisoners in the “war on terror” and the book “Faut-il Juger George Bush?”  Before joining Human Rights Watch, he led United Nations teams investigating massacres in the Democratic Republic of Congo and monitoring human rights in El Salvador, and he helped to prosecute human rights crimes in Haiti. He coordinated the 1997 International Commission of Jurists report “Tibet: Human Rights and the Rule of Law.” In 1996, he was expelled from Indonesian-occupied East Timor,  At the 1993 UN World Conference on Human Rights in Vienna, he coordinated lobbying for 2,700 NGO representatives and helped negotiate the creation of the post of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.  His 1984 investigation uncovered atrocities by the U.S.-backed “contras” against Nicaraguan civilians and led to a halt in U.S. funding. In 2016, he represented US journalist Amy Goodman to dismiss criminal charges for reporting on an attack against Native American-led anti-pipeline protesters at Standing Rock, ND. His work has been profiled in the New York Times, BBC, The Daily Telegraph, National Public Radio, Jeune Afrique, El Periódico de Catalunya (2019) Al-Jazeera, the National Post, the Wall Street Journal, El País, El Mundo, El Periódico de Catalunya (2014), Esquire (Spain), Le Monde (2006), La Repubblica, Tages-Anzeiger, le Nouvel Observateur, La Croix and Le Monde (2015).  In January 2017, he was elected to the International Commission of Jurists.  He is on the Advisory Board of the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights. He has taught regularly on accountability for international crimes, including at Columbia Law School and the American University Washington College of Law. He speaks English, French, Spanish and Portuguese.

Multimedia (see also Reed Brody's French page)

Meet the Beauty Queen Who Inspired Gambia’s Me Too Movement After Accusing Ex-Dictator of Rape, Democracy Now (September 19, 2019)

Breaking the Silence: Gambian Beauty Queen Publicly Accuses Former Dictator of Rape, Democracy Now (September 20, 2019)

Justice Talks: Reed Brody, Wayamo Foundation (September 2, 2019)

Should Saudi Crown Prince Be Charged With War Crimes? G20 Host Argentina Considers Probe, Democracy Now (November 29, 2018)

The dictator hunter: Reed Brody on bringing despots to justice, France 24 (October 16, 2018)

Gambia's Ex-President Linked to 2005 Massacre, Human Rights Watch (May 16, 2018)

The Trial of Hissène Habré, Human Rights Watch (December 6, 2017)

#Reporters - The trial of Chad's ex-dictator Habré, an inconvenient ally, France 24 (July 10, 2016)

In Historic Ruling, Ex-Dictator of Chad Hissène Habré Convicted of Crimes Against Humanity, Democracy Now (May 31, 2016)

Chad's Former President Convicted Of War Crimes In Senegal Trial, NPR (May 30, 2016)

Hissène Habré: Scenes from an historic trial, Human Rights Watch (May 16, 2016)

Web Exclusive: Reed Brody & Michael Smith Remember Michael Ratner (Part 2), Democracy Now (May 13, 2016)

Act 1 of the Hissène Habré Trial, Human Rights Watch (July 24, 2015)

Reed Brody: trial shows it's possible for victims to bring a dictator to justice - reporter, Euronews (July 17, 2015)

The Interview, France 24 (March 13, 2013)

'Dictator Hunter' Brody: 'It's A Pleasure,'  National Public Radio (September 26, 2013)

After Fifteen Years, 'Dictator Hunter' Sees Justice In Chad, National Public Radio (July 12, 2013)

US-Backed Chadian Dictator Hissène Habré Faces War Crimes Trial in Historic Win for His Victims, Democracy Now (July 2, 2013)

Facing Justice, Human Rights Watch (February 8, 2013)

Spanish Judge Disbarred in Trial Seen as Retaliation for Trailblazing Human Rights Work, Democracy Now (February 10, 2012)

Is "Baby Doc" Duvalier Off the Hook For Human Rights Crimes? Analysis by Reed Brody of HRW, Democracy Now (February 1, 2012)

His Victims Won't Forget "Baby Doc" Duvalier, Human Rights Watch (April 14, 2011)

The Dictator Hunter - Bringing Chadian Dictator to Justice, Democracy Now (June 14. 2008)

The Dictator Hunter, Global Voices (2008)

Articles Authored